Sports
Speed skater Francesca Lollobrigida wins Italy's first gold of home Games
Feb 7, 2026; Milan, Italy; Francesca Lollobrigida of Italy reacts after racing in the women’s speed skating 3000m during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Speed Skating Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images MILAN, Italy — Francesca Lollobrigida powered to victory in the women’s 3,000 meters speed skating on Saturday, bringing Italy its first gold medal of the Milan Cortina Games and ending Dutch dominance marked by three straight Olympic titles at the distance.
Norway’s Ragne Wiklund and Canada’s Valerie Maltais joined her on the podium as the speed skating program got under way at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium.
Lollobrigida tore around the oval to smash the Olympic record, stopping the clock at three minutes and 54.28 seconds — 2.26 seconds clear of Wiklund — to secure Italy’s first-ever women’s speed skating Olympic title.
It was the 35-year-old’s first Olympic gold, adding to the 3,000m silver and mass start bronze she won in Beijing in 2022.
Competing in her fourth Olympics – and doing so on her birthday in front of a roaring home crowd – Lollobrigida turned the weight of expectation into fuel.
“This medal means a lot, but also a demonstration — the fact of not giving up, to start a family, to become a mother and to come back to race,” she said.
EMOTIONAL LOLLOBRIGIDA CELEBRATES WITH SON
Drawn in the eighth pair alongside Maltais and starting in the outer lane, she went toe-to-toe with the Canadian before pulling decisively ahead.
Upon realizing her triumph, an emotional Lollobrigida wrapped herself in the Italian flag and sprinted to celebrate with her two-year-old son.
The Italian – great-niece of the late film icon Gina Lollobrigida and cousin of Italy’s Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida – soaked in the moment as the stadium erupted around her.
“Being in Italy, knowing my son, my husband, my mom, my dad, my sister, all my friends were here … I was really happy,” she said.
“I did it for myself, but also for all those who have always believed in me.”
The Italian’s victory ended a formidable Dutch legacy in the 3,000m. The Netherlands famously swept the podium at PyeongChang 2018, while Irene Schouten won gold at Beijing 2022 before retiring.
In Milan, Joy Beune and Marijke Groenewoud were again seen as leading Dutch contenders to extend that dominance, as was Wiklund, but Lollobrigida had other ideas.
Beune finished fourth and Groenewoud eighth, while Canada’s Isabelle Weidemann – a triple medalist in Beijing – was fifth.
Greta Myers was the only U.S. entrant, a late addition due to an injury withdrawal, and finished 20th.
The Netherlands remains the sport’s powerhouse, with a record 48 Olympic gold medals – well clear of the U.S. (30) and Norway (28). Lollobrigida’s victory was Italy’s third Olympic gold in speed skating.
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Sports
Labaron Philon's 25 points squeeze Alabama past Auburn
Alabama Crimson Tide guard Aden Holloway (2) drives on Auburn Tigers forward Keyshawn Hall (7) as Auburn Tigers take on Alabama Crimson Tide at Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. Labaron Philon scored 25 points and three teammates hit double figures as Alabama held off host Auburn 96-92 on Saturday.
Amari Allen added 17 points, Aden Holloway scored 15 and Charles Bediako had 12 for the Crimson Tide (16-7, 6-4 SEC).
Tahaad Pettiford scored 25 points, Keyshawn Hall had 24 before fouling out, Kevin Overton contributed 17 points and KeShawn Murphy added 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Tigers (14-9, 5-5), who lost their second straight after a four-game winning streak.
Auburn scored the first three points of the second half to open a 44-37 lead. Holloway’s layup produced Alabama’s first points, but the Tigers increased the lead to 54-47 on a Hall layup with 15:31 to play.
London Jemison scored seven consecutive points to start an 11-0 spurt that gave the Tide a 58-54 lead. Pettiford and Overton each made a 3-pointer and the Tigers pulled even at 60.
Philon’s 3-pointer broke the tie before the lead changed hands twice. The Tide opened a 71-65 lead on Aiden Sherrell’s 3-pointer with 9:10 to go. Auburn got within one point, but Philon scored the next five points.
Once again, the Tigers saw an Alabama six-point lead and crept within one. Allen made a 3-pointer and Tide pushed the lead back to six twice more. Murphy’s 3-pointer cut the lead in half, but Holloway made three free throws for a six-point margin with 28 seconds left.
At the game’s outset, the lead changed hands three times before Overton made consecutive 3-pointers to complete a 10-2 run and give Auburn a 14-7 lead. Philon made a 3-pointer to slow the momentum, but Elyjah Freeman scored four straight points to help the Tigers take a 20-12 lead.
The Tide scored the next six points before the Tigers extended the margin to six points on four occasions. They pushed the lead to 36-26 — the largest of the game — on two Pettiford free throws with 2:33 left in the half.
Houston Mallette made two 3-pointers during an 11-2 run by Alabama before Overton’s 3-pointer left Auburn with a 41-37 halftime lead.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Super Bowl LX: Patriots thinking about path to big game
Feb 5, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel talks to media members at the Santa Clara Marriott. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images PALO ALTO, Calif. – The New England Patriots returned to Stanford Stadium for a final time on Saturday afternoon to take a team photo and spend time with their family and friends ahead of Super Bowl LX.
Quarterback Drake Maye was the first player on the field to take photos. Players wore the white jerseys and white pants they will don on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. A team photographer took photos of each position group in front of a backdrop before players lined up in numerical orders on the bleachers for the official Super Bowl photo.
After a couple of quick snaps, players were free to mingle with their families and friends. Assistant coaches chased toddlers around the field, while a group of older children took turns hurling themselves into a tackling dummy. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels pulled both Maye and receiver Stefon Diggs aside to take photos with McDaniels’ kids, who range in age from 13 to 21.
“I want them to enjoy this time with their families,” head coach Mike Vrabel said. “You can see how many people care about us and helped us get to this position, and this is all part of being able to celebrate it.”
Vrabel was planning to speak with the team later Saturday at their hotel in Santa Clara. He planned to remind players about the team’s path here, and the identity they built along the way.
“Everybody talked about getting to this point, and hoped for it to happen at the beginning of the year. Now it’s real,” Vrabel said. “That’s what I think has been pretty cool.”
The Patriots made two roster moves on Saturday, elevating defensive lineman Leonard Taylor III and running back D’Ernest Johnson off the practice squad.
–Pro Football Writers of America
Sports
Florida State wins third straight, keeps Notre Dame reeling
Feb 7, 2026; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Florida State Seminoles guard Robert McCray V. (6) blocks Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Jalen Haralson (10) as guard Lajae Jones (10) also defends during the first half at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images Chauncey Wiggins scored 22 points and hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with just under two minutes left on his 21st birthday to help Florida State win its third straight game, 82-79 over Notre Dame on Saturday in Atlantic Coast Conference play at South Bend, Ind.
Florida State (11-12, 4-6) led by as many as 18 in the first half, 41-32 at halftime and by 11 early in the second half. However, the Seminoles shot 37.9% from the field in the second half while Notre Dame (11-13, 2-9) shot 51.5% to work back and take a 75-74 lead on Logan Imes’ 3-pointer with 2:07 remaining.
Then Wiggins, who went 5 of 10 from beyond the arc, knocked down a deep 3-pointer left of the top of the arc with 1:52 to go that put the Seminoles ahead for good.
Notre Dame forward Carson Towt missed four attempts from the foul line down the stretch. Florida State’s Alier Maluk hit two free throws with 9.3 seconds remaining to reach the final margin and send the Seminoles to their fourth win in five games.
Braeden Shrewsberry had 18 points and Jalen Haralson scored 15 before fouling out with 2:33 left for the Fighting Irish, who have lost four straight games and nine of 10 to remain in jeopardy of missing the ACC tournament.
Florida State came out hot, scoring 17 of the game’s first 19 points. The Seminoles’ first 15 points came via two 3-pointers apiece from Wiggins and Rod McCray V (15 points), and the other from Lajae Jones.
The visitors opened 6 of 10 from long distance and 8 of 13 overall from the field en route to building a 27-9 lead. However, Florida State went 3 of 12 from beyond the arc the rest of the half and 6 of 23 from the floor.
Notre Dame shot just 32.3% from the field in the opening half but used a 10-0 run to get back in the contest. Sir Mohammed’s 3-pointer with 1:01 left before the break got the Irish to 36-30 before the Seminoles scored the next five points for more breathing room entering halftime.
Florida State hit 15 of 37 from long range for the game.
–Field Level Media
Labaron Philon's 25 points squeeze Alabama past Auburn
Super Bowl LX: Patriots thinking about path to big game
